Rural Informatization in China

Christina Zhen-Wei Qiang

Description

China's recent economic growth has expanded industrialization and urbanization, upgraded consumption, increased social mobility, and initiated a shift from an agricultural-based economy to one based on services and industry. However, more than half of China's population still lives in rural areas, where the average per capital income is less than a third of the urban average. The government of China has increased its commitment to rural development and poverty-reduction programs, with attention to narrowing the rural-urban divide. Informatization-defined as the transformation of an economy and society driven by information and communications technology (ICT)-is increasingly being explored as a way of helping poor people. Rural Informatization in China presents an overview and in-depth analysis of rural ICT initiatives in China. This study reviews the present-day status of China's rural informatization infrastructure, examines and summarizes by organizational model the key initiatives in the past decade, and provides policy recommendations to address current challenges. Case studies of different financing models of rural ICT initiatives from China and other countries are included.

Sujets

• China
• Informatization
• Agriculture
• Digital divide
• Poverty reduction
• Rural development
• Information and communications technology

Informations

• Publié par: world-bank-publications
• Publié le: 01 juillet 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 33
• EAN13: 9780821380208
• Langue: English

Extrait

W O R L D B A N K W O R K I N G

Rural Informatization in China

Christine Zhen-Wei Qiang Asheeta Bhavnani Nagy K. Hanna Kaoru Kimura Randeep Sudan

THE WORLD BANK

 

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W O R L D B A N K W O R K I N G P A P E R

Rural Informatization in China

Christine ZhenWei Qiang Asheeta Bhavnani Nagy K. Hanna Kaoru Kimura Randeep Sudan                                                  

 

 

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Copyright © 2009 The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A. All rights reserved Manufactured in the United States of America First Printing: June 2009 Printed on recycled paper   1 2 3 4 5 12 11 10 09   World Bank Working Papers are published to communicate the results of the Bank’s work to the development community with the least possible delay. The manuscript of this paper therefore has not been prepared in accordance with the procedures appropriate to formally edited texts. Some sources cited in this paper may be informal documents that are not readily available. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank and its affiliated organizations, or those of the Executive Directors of The World Bank or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank of the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. The material in this publication is copyrighted. Copying and/or transmitting portions or all of this work without permission may be a violation of applicable law. The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development/The World Bank encourages dissemination of its work and will normally grant permission promptly to reproduce portions of the work. For permission to photocopy or reprint any part of this work, please send a request with complete information to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, USA, Tel: 9787508400, Fax: 9787504470, www.copyright.com. All other queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to the Office of the Publisher, The World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA, Fax: 2025222422, email: [e-mail].   ISBN13: 9780821380185 eISBN: 9780821380208 ISSN: 17265878 DOI: 10.1596/9780821380185   Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data has been requested.

 

Contents  

Foreword..................................................................................................................................... v   1. Introduction................................................................................................................ ............ 1   Notes.......................................................................................................................... ........... 2   2. Development of China’s Rural Information Infrastructure .......................................... 3   Fixed Line Telephony ......................................................................................................... 6   Mobile Telephony ............................................................................................................... 6   Radio and Television .......................................................................................................... 7   Internet................................................................................................................................. 7   Notes.......................................................................................................................... ......... 10   3. Rural Informatization Initiatives and Organizational Models................................... 11   Key Rural Informatization Actors and Initiatives........................................................... 11   Organizational Models for Rural Informatization .......................................................... 14   Notes.......................................................................................................................... ......... 21   4. Lessons from International Experie nces ........................................................................ 22   Government and Donordriven Initiatives and Sustainability .................................. 22   Private Sector Participation ............................................................................................. 24   The Appeal of the Franchise Model ............................................................................... 25   Hybrid Organizational Models ....................................................................................... 28   5. Challenges for Rural Informatization in China............................................................. 30   Lack of a Coherent Strategy............................................................................................. 30   Weak Coordination across Ministries and Integration at the Provincial Level........ 30   Unsustainable Business Models and Overreliance on Government Financing ...... 32   Lack of DemandDriven, Locally Relevant Information Resour ces........................... 32   Low Levels of Public Awareness and Capacity Building............................................ 33   Weak Links to Domestic ICT Industry and Research and Development for Rural Applications............................................................................................................... 34   Lack of Systematic Learning and Impact Evaluation ................................................... 34   6. Recommendations............................................................................................................... 35   Formulate a Comprehensive and Coherent Strategy................................................... 35   Support Innovative Business Models ............................................................................. 36   Consolidate and Share Resource s ................................................................................... 37   Raise Public Awareness and Build Capaci ty................................................................. 38   Develop Intermediary Institutions and Networks ....................................................... 38   Ensure Learning, Monitoring , and Evaluation ............................................................. 39  

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iv  Contents

7. Conclusions ................................................................................................................. ......... 40   References..................................................................................................................... ............ 42   Appendixes..................................................................................................................... .......... 45   Appendix 1. Central Government Strategies and Initiatives for Rural Informatization ............................................................................................................ 45   Notes.......................................................................................................................... ......... 51   Appendix 2. Analysis of Eighteen Pilot Projects in China........................................... 52   Appendix 3. Impact Evaluation: Rationale, Definitions and Framework for Rural Informatization  Pilots.................................................................................................. 54   Note ........................................................................................................................... ......... 58   Appendix 4. A Framework for Evaluation of Eighteen Pilot Projects ....................... 59  

  Tables Table 2.1. Information Infrastructure Coverage in China, 2007 .......................................... 6   Table 3.1. Rural Informatization Initiatives by Central Ministries and Agencies ............. 11   Table 3.2. Rural Informatization Problems and Attempted Solution s................................ 15   Table A.3.1. A Framework to Evaluate Project Impact....................................................... 57   Table A.3.2. Indicators to Assess Project Impact ................................................................. 58     Figures Figure 2.1. Ownership of Television in Urban and Rural Households, 1990–2006 .......... 7   Figure 2.2. Internet Penetration in Urban and Rural Chin a, 2005–07................................. 8   Figure 2.3. Personal Computer Ownership in Urban and Rural Households, 1999– 2006...................................................................................................................................... 9   Figure 2.4. Place of Internet Access, 2007 ............................................................................... 9   Figure 3.1. Key Elements of Rural Informatization Pilot Initiatives ................................... 15   Figure 5.1. Population and Investment Segmentation in China ....................................... 31   Figure A.3.1. Developing Performance and Impact Indicators ......................................... 56     Boxes Box 2.1. Central Government Strategies for Rural Informatization, 2001 to Present ....... 5   Box 3.1. Government Model .................................................................................................. 16   Box 3.2. Telecommunications Provider Model.................................................................... 17   Box 3.3. Professional Association/Cooperative M odel ....................................................... 18   Box 3.4. Franchise/Entrepreneurial Model ........................................................................... 19   Box 3.5. Private Sector Model ................................................................................................ 20   Box 4.1. Public Programs of Access Centers i n Chile ......................................................... 23   Box 4.2. EChoupal: An Evolving Infrastructure for Rural Transformation ................... 25   Box 4.3. CDI: A Social Franchise Targeting Disadvantaged Urban Youth ...................... 28   Box 4.4. Gyandoot Program in India .................................................................................... 29    

Foreword

O t v   h e r r  o t u h g e  h l   a t s h t  e  d e e ff c e a c d ti e v ,  e i   n d fo e r p m lo at y iz m a e ti n o t n  o — f i t n h f e o  t r r m an at s i f o o n r   m a a n t d i   o c n o  o m f  m an u   n e i c c o at n i o o m n t y e  a c n h d n   o s l o o c g i i e e t s y     in business, social, and public functions—has been a significant phenomenon in China. Launched in the coastal urban areas, the process of informatization has rapidly expanded to the inner rural areas, where over half of the country’s population lives. This means that over 700 million previously unserved rural consumers can now access public services and information. The Government of China continues to advance the informatization process as part of its strategy to reduce rural poverty and improve the living conditions of farmers. Finding sustainable models that can be scaled will be critical for China to achieve equitable development across regions, and to reduce the ruralurban divide. The Government of China and the World Bank share a long history of collaboration. It is my hope that this working paper will serve to deepen the understanding of the role of informatization in meeting China’s economic and social needs, particularly with regards to improving livelihoods and creating opportunities for the rural population. We also hope that the experience and lessons discussed here will be useful to other countries. I would like to express our most sincere thanks to the Advisory Committee for State Information in China for its dedicated support throughout the preparation of this study.    

   

Mohsen A. Khalil Director, Global Information and Communication Technologies Department The World Bank Group

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hi C up economy based on agriculture to one based on industry and services. Still, more than half of China’s people still live in rural areas—where average income per capita is less than a third of   the urban average 1 , a gap that is among the largest in the world. Reducing these differences is critical to building a harmonious, inclusive society. In its 11th FiveYear Plan (covering 2006–2011), China has adopted a new development paradigm that emphasizes the building of a Harmonious Society ( he xie she hui ) with more balanced development across regions. The new development paradigm adopts a “scientific view of the development process” that emphasizes sustainable growth and “peoplecentered.” Accordingly, the government has substantially increased its commitment to propoor, prorural programs. This new approach is reflected in numerous official statements and many new programs introduced in recent years. The government is exploring new ways of reducing rural poverty and improving the living conditions of farmers. Until recently China’s poverty alleviation efforts had focused on tackling absolute poverty, but with attention now being turned toward relative poverty reduction and narrowing the ruralurban income divide, informatization 2 —defined as the transformation of an economy and society driven by information and communications technology (ICT)—is increasingly being explored as a way of helping poor people. Rural populations have dramatically increased their demand for new technologies, policies, and market information, and obtaining useful information in a timely manner has become critical to the rural economy and society. With the arrival of the information age, the market economy in rural areas has been growing, and competition in the expanding economy necessitates access to information—especially in agriculture, which is particularly reliant on information. ICT is being perceived as an effective tool for disseminating information resources widely and costeffectively. This report draws from background research conducted by the Advisory Committee for State Informatization, and attempts to provide an overview of China’s rural ICT development primarily in the past 15 years. The report first describes the status of China’s rural informatization infrastructure. It then reviews existing rural ICT initiatives in China and summarizes them by organizational models. International examples are included to draw lessons from. Finally, the challenges of rural informatization are examined, and policy recommendations identified to address them.

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Introduction

C H A P T E R 1

2  World Bank Working Paper

Notes   1 China urbanrural income gap continues to widen http://in.reuters.com/article/asiaCompanyAndMarkets/idINPEK1715020080124  2 The term “ informatisation” was coined by Simon Nora and Alain Minc in their publication L’Informatisation de la société: Rapport à M. le Président de la République which was translated in English in 1980 as The Computerization of Society: A report to the President of France . However, in an article published in 1987—”The Informatisation of Society” in Evolution of an Information Society, edited by A.E. Cawkell (London: ASLIB)—Minc preferred to use informatisation and not computerization. This publication uses the Americanized spelling, “informatization” and italicizes all general usages as a borrowed “foreign” word.

 

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hi C i   m addition to specific informatization  goals in the 11th Five Year Plan, the related deployment of strategies such as the State Informatization Development Strategy, 2006–2020 underscore the importance the government has accorded to rural informatization . Thus the growing digital gap between rural and urban areas has been a mounting area of concern, encouraging the development of numerous policies and initiatives to promote rural informatization and better equip all citizens for participation in the new global order. Key development objectives of rural informatization in China include:      Catching up with more advanced regions. Informatization  could facilitate contacts and exchanges between China’s central and western regions and more developed regions, allowing farmers and agrobusinesses to obtain technologies and market information that enable them to make full use of their comparative advantages in developing new products and increasing trade, market share, and ultimately incomes. Furthermore, leading agrobusinesses in developed regions can show small and lowvalue industries in less advanced regions how to improve their management and technological skills and market competitiveness, reducing regional gaps.      Integrating and modernizing the rural market economy. Most rural enterprises in rural China are small and private. Given their isolation and weak financial foundation, the market economy in rural areas remains underdeveloped. Better rural information infrastructure can provide market information, communication channels, and financial resources to farmers and rural enterprises, enabling these key players in the rural economy to enter markets and increase their diversification and competitiveness. Such infrastructure can do so by facilitating better farming techniques, helping to choose crops to plant in response to market information, improving production and resource management (for example, through geographic information systems), and reducing marketing costs and exploitation by intermediaries.    Strengthening delivery of social and public services. Government information support systems should aim to capture timely, accurate, comprehensive data

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Development of China’s Rural Information Infrastructure

C H A P T E R 2